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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bore — to drill
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. chest — of your body
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. chest — a box
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. present — the time now
  18. bore — to tire
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. toast — bread
  22. present — there
  23. chest — of your body
  24. jam — to spread on bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com